Hotel

The Dorchester

53 Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 1QA

Est. 1931

London, United Kingdom

Price $$$

Open

The Story

The grande dame of Park Lane

The Dorchester has been hosting Hollywood since it opened in 1931, and ninety years on it remains one of the great London addresses. No single star is more bound up with its history than Elizabeth Taylor, for whom this was, without question, her favourite place to stay in the city. Hotel staff went the extra mile to ensure her needs were always met, and she usually booked the Harlequin Suite — the pink bathroom there was installed just for her, and it is still there today for your bathing pleasure. According to legend, there is even graffiti on the wall that reads "RB xxx ET."

" The pink bathroom was installed just for Elizabeth Taylor — and it's still there today for your bathing pleasure.

Taylor, Burton and a Van Gogh

While filming The VIPs, the Burtons stayed in adjoining rooftop garden suites — they were not yet married. And it was in the penthouse suite, after they were married, that Taylor thought it would be funny to hammer a nail into the wall above the fireplace to hang a Van Gogh painting she had bought for Richard from Sotheby's earlier that day. Most couples bring home a souvenir magnet from the gift shop. Elizabeth bought a Van Gogh and installed it with a hammer. The couple chose the Dorchester for a particularly memorable — and somewhat raucous — celebration in 1967, when Richard's Welsh friends and family were taxied in from Wales by green Rolls-Royce and put up in 14 suites to mark the UK release of The Taming of the Shrew. In her later years, Taylor returned for a dinner held in her honour at the Dorchester when she was made a Dame in 2000.

Dietrich's wartime address

The Dorchester's Old Hollywood guest book runs well beyond Taylor and Burton. Marlene Dietrich lived at the hotel during the London Blitz, refusing to leave despite the bombing. When asked why she stayed, she reportedly said the hotel had the best bomb shelter in London. Garbo, Chaplin and Sinatra have all passed through its doors too — proof that for the better part of a century, the grande dame of Park Lane has been where Hollywood checks in when it comes to London.

Signature Experiences

The Harlequin Suite

Elizabeth Taylor's usual suite. The pink bathroom here was originally installed just for her, and it is still there today for your bathing pleasure. According to legend, there is even graffiti on the wall that reads "RB xxx ET."

Rooftop garden suites

While filming The VIPs, the Burtons stayed in adjoining rooftop garden suites — they were not yet married at the time.

Famous Connections

Who Came Here

Elizabeth Taylor · Richard Burton · Frank Sinatra · Marlene Dietrich · Greta Garbo · Charlie Chaplin

Plan Your Visit

Open year-round

+44 20 7629 8888

Official Website

Good to Know

How to Book: Book direct at dorchestercollection.com or by phone. If you want to follow in Elizabeth Taylor's footsteps, ask about the Harlequin Suite with its famous pink bathroom.
Best Time: Year-round.
Accessibility: Contact the hotel directly to confirm access requirements.
Tip: This was Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's favourite London hotel, and the stories live on in the building: the penthouse where Taylor hammered a nail into the wall to hang a newly bought Van Gogh, the 14 suites taken over for Richard's Welsh family in 1967, and the dinner held in her honour when she was made a Dame in 2000.